Todd Mueller
Real Name: Todd Mueller (at time of broadcast) Aliases: '''Pepito D'Bayan '''Wanted For: Fraud, Forgery, Escape Missing Since: '''1991 Case '''Details: Todd Mueller is a career con-artist who has counterfeited papers in order to squander the fortunes of other people. On August 20, 1990, Mueller turned up at a Maui bank in Hawaii going by the name of Pepito D'Bayan. He claimed that he was the representative for his aunt's estate. He asked to take the funds from her account and put them in his account. He also wanted to deposit a check into the account. Finally, he wanted to transfer $20,000 to his associate, Julian Bilamont, in Honolulu. The bank employee was suspicious of "D'Bayan" so he asked him to come back an hour later. When he came back, he was arrested on suspicion of forgery. At first, Maui police had no idea who they had in custody, as he was carrying more than 15 false identification cards. Eventually, they identified him as Mueller. He was released on bail. Three months later, on December 3, 1990, he showed up at a bank in Honolulu under the alias Arthur Ayona. He told the employee that he was named the personal representative of the estate of a man named George McLaughlin. He wanted to take the funds from George's account and place them in a new checking account in his name. Investigators believe that Mueller looks at obituaries in newspapers and takes names from there to place on court documents. He would use copy machines to forge these documents, making them appear legitimate to bank employees. The documents would name him as executor to the person's estate. The fake documents and phony checks allow him to steal thousands of dollars from banks throughout Hawaii. However, his work was sometimes less than perfect. For example, one of the checks he had was from the "Bank of Boise, Iowa" which does not exist (it is believed that he meant Boise, Idaho). He also made suspicious moves, such as withdrawing $31,000 from the account he opened in Honolulu. The bank manager contacted the police, believing the probate documents to be false. Once again, Mueller was arrested; however, he again posted bail and was released. When investigator Henry Nobriga attempted to get a search warrant for Mueller's home, Mueller himself called him, saying that a warrant was not necessary. He claimed that he would voluntarily let Nobriga search his home. However, when Nobriga arrived at the home, all of Mueller's possessions were gone. One week later, at the Oahu Corrections Facility, Mueller's former cellmate Roy Hartsock was told that he was being paroled. He claimed that he was not supposed to be released until February; however, a court order had been issued, requesting his immediate release. Three weeks later, investigators discovered that Mueller had forged the release documents. Mueller also pretended to be a New York police officer, calling investigator Nobriga and claiming that he had been arrested there. In reality, Mueller was staying at an expensive hotel in Chicago. Hotel employees were suspicious of his behavior, especially with the large amounts of cash he was carrying. They told him that the hotel was overbooked and he had to leave. However, he called the hotel's toll free reservation service and booked a room across the hall. The hotel's employees checked his other room, finding several forged checks. They also discovered that he had made several calls to Honolulu. One of the calls was to investigator Nobriga. When Chicago police arrived to arrest him, they instead found Hartsock, his former cellmate. As they questioned Hartsock in the hotel room, Mueller appeared and was immediately arrested. This time, he was not allowed to have bail. Hartsock was returned to Hawaii to complete the rest of his sentence. Mueller was charged with forgery, fraud, and robbery. He was held at the Cook County jail, awaiting trial. Six months later, he was taken to a hospital emergency room, claiming that he had swallowed a razor blade. He was handcuffed to his hospital bed and a guard was placed outside his room. Somehow, he was able to escape. He has not been seen since. However, he has called investigator Nobriga several times, claiming that he is going to turn himself in. Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the January 29, 1992 episode. Results: Captured. On December 19, 1991, Mueller was arrested in New Jersey. His real name was revealed to be David Livingston, and he was sentenced to 11 years and 2 months for his crimes. However, he has since served his time and released from prison. In 2000, he was arrested again, charged with defrauding a Japanese businessman. His current activities are unknown. Links: * Rikers Con a Conman Even in Jail ---- Category:Hawaii Category:Illinois Category:New York Category:1990 Category:1991 Category:Fraud Category:Forgery Category:Escape Category:Captured